Chapter 1 A Devil's Bargain

The rain beat furiously against the windshield, and the wipers couldn’t keep up with the deluge. Alex Mercer had a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel of his car, his jaw until his teeth ached. The ancient vehicle moaned in protest with each crank of its aged engine, battling the slippery highway. His thoughts were elsewhere as he replayed the argument he’d had earlier that night. It was words he couldn’t unsay, a door slammed in frustration. He hardly took note of the bend in the road until it was too late. The tires squealed, the car whirling out of control. Everything slowed to give time as the guardrail approached. Metal shrieked, glass broke, and then silence. Alex woke to heat. Stifling, suffocating heat. He opened his eyes, expecting to see the clinical white of a hospital room, but there he found himself surrounded by a harrowing sight. Rivers of molten lava snaked through jagged black rocks, and the air was laden with the foul stench of sulfur. He heard screams in the distance that turned his blood cold. “Ah, finally awake.” The voice was smooth, even pleasant, but there was an undercurrent of menace. Alex looked back to see a figure standing a few feet away. Tall and imposing, with sharp features and piercing eyes that apparently could see inside his soul. He was in a suit: sleek, black, and immaculate, a sharp contrast to the hellish surroundings. Dark wings, dimly luminous at the edges, were folded snug against his back. “Who… who are you?” Alex, his voice hoarse, managed. The figure’s lips twisted into a grin. “You can call me Lucifer.” Alex staggered back. “This… this isn’t real.” Lucifer chuckled. “Oh, it’s very real, Alex. You died. Went barreling off the highway, you recall? Tragic, really. But let’s not look back; here we go. We have other fish to fry.’” “Am I dead? ” The words sounded strange when he spoke them. “Dead as a doornail,” Lucifer replied. “And normally, you’d be here for eternity, paying for your sins. But …” He left the word suspended in the air, his grin growing. “I have an offer for you.” Alex narrowed his eyes. “What kind of proposition?” “A second chance,” Lucifer said, his voice nearly seductive. “You know, a few of my… underlings have gotten loose. Demons who believed they were immune to my wrath. They’re causing mayhem on Earth, and that is just not going to work. Someone needs to get them back.” Someone like you.” Alex’s laugh was bitter. “Why me? I’m just some guy. What makes you think I can do anything against demons?” Lucifer closed the distance, a suffocating presence. Because I promise you I’ll give you the tools. A fragment of my power. Enough to make you a significant player. Hellfire to consume your enemies, shadows to hide your approach, and the gift to know the wicked wherever they lurk.” “And what do you have to gain from this?” Suspicion crept into Alex’s voice. “Order,” Lucifer said simply. “Chaos is bad for business. And of course when you’re done, you’ll come back here. But not as a prisoner. No, Alex, you’ll have earned your stripes as my lieutenant. Better than the fate that awaits you now.” Alex paused, his brain scrambling. The prospect of lifelong torturous punishment was unbearable, but serving Lucifer wasn’t much of a consolation either. Yet, if it meant a second chance … “Do I have a choice?” he asked finally. Lucifer’s smile sharpened to razorlike edges. “There’s always a choice. But I wouldn’t advise the alternative.” And the deal was sealed with a handshake. Alex’s skin ignited at the contact of Lucifer’s hand with his, a hot needle that spread through him. He dropped to his knees, panting with power flowing through him. When he looked up, Lucifer had disappeared, and the hellscape around him was starting to dissipate. He awoke abruptly, lying on frigid pavement. It was raining, soaking him to the skin. The street was empty, the only sound the rumble of thunder in the distance. He heaved himself up, his body aching but still alive. He stopped cold when he saw his own reflection in a puddle nearby. His eyes were different. The irises glowed, faintly, a fiery red not there before. He lifted his hand and was astounded to see flames licking up his fingers. They did not burn him, but the heat could not be denied. “Turns out it wasn’t a dream,” he said. The first days were a blur. The powers were badass, and the dread of evil, a faint, disgusting pulsing at the back of his mind, was unending. He moved about the city in a daze, trying to connect the dots in his new life. It did not take long for him to find his first target. It had settled into a rundown warehouse, and its presence had desecrated the place. The air was heavy with malevolence, the shadows more than usually dark. Alex marched inside, pulse pounding. He didn’t know what was coming, but it was too late to back out. The creature was a monstrosity, part of its form twisted and coiling like it didn’t know which way to settle. Its eyes glowed like molten gold as it turned to face him. “You are not human,” it hissed, its voice a deep growl. Alex held up a hand, and flames roared to life. “Neither are you. Let’s get this over with.” The battle was brutal. The demon was quick and powerful, but Alex’s new powers evened the odds. He stalked through the long shadows, striking with deadly accuracy, the hellfire burning into the creature’s flesh. It screamed, falling, its body disassembling into ash. When the last of the demons disappeared, a tingling satisfaction moved through Alex. But that was momentary giving way to an underlying discomfort. This was only the beginning. Alex sat on the rooftop of an abandoned building that night, gazing at the city. The rain had ended, and the moon hung low, casting an odd shade down on the streets beneath. Tonz stood in the broken window as his eyes glowed faintly. He clenched his fists. “What have I got myself into?” he whispered. Lucifer’s voice rang in his head, silky and taunting. “A second chance, Alex. Don’t waste it.” Alex knew he had twenty questions left to ask. He had a mission, a purpose. But at what cost? And when it was time, would he be able to pay the price for his choices? For now, there was no going back. The hunt had begun.